Nothing to Lose: Frustrated Angolans Say They Will Continue Protests Despite Crackdowns  

A few weeks ago, the National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola called a strike to protest a 33 percent increase in the price of fuel in the capital city of Luanda.  

The local police department, however, banned the strike, calling it a rebellion. 

The strike morphed into a popular uprising in Angola, one of Africa’s leading oil producers. Thousands of people hit the streets in cities across the country for three days to protest the ban, the petrol price increase, and the rising cost of living. 

“The fuel price issue is just the last straw that has reignited widespread public discontent,” Laura Macedo, who was participating in the protests, told the BBC. “Hunger is rife. People are fed up.” 

There were violent clashes between protesters and police, who used live ammunition and accused the strike leaders of terrorism. When the violence was over, dozens lay dead, hundreds more were injured, and more than 1,000 had been jailed. 

Analysts say such events are routine for Angola, which has been ruled with an iron fist by the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975. 

But many Angolans are tired of the situation now, say observers. 

“The protesters are frustrated not only by the fuel hike, but also …the perceived indifference of the government to the struggles of everyday Angolans,” wrote Deutsche Welle.  

The government says the petrol price hike is necessary: Subsidies for fuel account for about 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and debt exceeds 60 percent of GDP. 

It adds that the crackdown was justified because of the looting and vandalism that occurred during the protests, calling the unrest “unpatriotic” and a threat to “unity, reconciliation, peace and progress.” 

But observers say almost all protests, no matter how peaceful, elicit harsh responses.  

For example, earlier this year, the Angolan Student Movement took to the streets to demand more investment in public education and improved conditions for teachers and students. Police responded with violence and arrested at least 50 students and three journalists covering the protest. 

A protest in early July against the rise in fuel prices and the elimination of subsidies for public transportation was also met with excessive force, wrote Human Rights Watch.  

Desperate conditions in Angola mean that protesters are going to keep coming back, say analysts.  

The capital may be full of gleaming skyscrapers and colonial architecture, but that shiny exterior hides grim statistics. Despite its oil-rich soil, Angola’s minimum monthly wage is under $76, one of the lowest globally. The average person earns $200 a month, and more than 80 percent of those with jobs work in the informal sector. 

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate among 15-24 years old is 54 percent. 

As a result, the MPLA has sunk deeply in the polls.  

President João Lourenço came to power after a disputed election in 2017, replacing José Eduardo dos Santos, who ran the country for 38 years. Lourenço promised to reform the economy, restore democracy, and crack down on corruption. But midway through his second and final term, he hasn’t delivered, observers say.  

Instead, the opposition has made gains, with the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) winning the capital in the 2022 elections and the MPLA just barely squeezing out a majority nationwide.  

Now some worry that the protests will continue and become more violent, eliciting harsher crackdowns and threatening the stability of the country. 

 “A greater use of force won’t stop future protests,” David Boio, a sociology professor in the central Angolan city of Huambo told Bloomberg. “These young people have nothing to lose.”